Retired Sherburne County Sheriff Bruce Anderson has defeated incumbent Sherburne County Commissioner Larry Farber for the District 1 seat on the county board.
Bruce Anderson Larry Farber

The tally was Anderson, 4,815 votes and Farber, 2,680 votes in unofficial totals.

District 1 covers most of the county seat of Elk River.

Anderson received more than 63 percent of the vote in this race from ballots in six Elk River precincts.

Farber, a retired police officer and detective, has been on the county board since 2009 and is serving as board chair in 2012. Prior to joining the board, Farber gave 12 years of service on the Elk River City Council.

Leonard wins re-election

Sherburne County’s District Five, including the city of Zimmerman, Baldwin Township, most of Livonia Township and part of Princeton, will keep its incumbent commissioner on the board entering 2013 as Rachel Leonard finished well ahead of challenger Wendy Kowalski based on unofficial voting totals Nov. 6.

Rachel Leonard

Leonard, of Livonia Township, took more than 61 percent of the vote (4,537 votes) and led all precincts. Kowalski tallied 37 percent or 2,748 votes.

Leonard has served on the board since 2001. She is the board’s vice chair in 2012 and chaired the proceedings two previous years in 2004 and 2009.

Kowalski is a Zimmerman resident and business owner who opted to challenge Leonard for county board rather than seek a third consecutive four-year term on the Zimmerman City Council, with which she will finish her eighth year in December.

Riebel re-elected to board

Sherburne County’s District Three, including part of Elk River, Becker, Orrock and Becker townships and a small precinct in Livonia Township, will also keep its incumbent commissioner on the board entering 2013 as John Riebel finished well ahead of challenger Rollie Lange based on unofficial voting totals Nov. 6.

Riebel received more than 63 percent of the vote among more than 7,650 ballots that were cast while Lange picked up 36 percent of the total. Lange did finish ahead of Riebel in Livonia Township and in Elk River Ward 2 Precinct 2B, with 57 percent from those voters.

Riebel, of Becker, is a hardware store owner and has served on the county board since 2005. Lange, also of Becker, is a regional sales director for Clearent LLC credit card processing, based in St. Louis.